Increasing energy usage is a growing concern. Not only does increasing energy usage strain utility grids, there is increasing public concern over the consumption of natural resources and its effects on the environment.
Commercial property owners and building managers have access to a variety of benchmark metrics that assist them in understanding the energy usage of their properties and/or buildings. In addition, these benchmark metrics allow owners and managers to compare the energy usage of their buildings to that of similar buildings. However, residential consumers have substantially fewer tools and benchmark data to assist them in understanding their own residential energy usage. Existing tools for residential consumers have focused primarily on identifying areas of a home that are candidates for reduced energy consumption. For example, existing tools provide consumers with the ability to determine the effects of a more efficient appliance, such as a refrigerator, on their overall energy consumption. Residential consumers cannot understand and/or optimize their energy usage without appropriate tools and/or benchmark data.
Energy measurement products providing energy usage data are increasingly available, including those that communicate this data across one or more networks. These products can be used to facilitate a benchmarking system for residential consumers, and permit energy usage data to be gathered and used in a more granular way.
While existing residential energy management tools provide basic energy usage data, many areas of improvement remain. For example, existing tools simply compare a consumer's energy usage data to average energy usage data. Consumers would benefit from individual challenges and/or direct comparisons, rather than simply comparisons to an average consumer. In addition, many existing tools would benefit from a more intuitive display of energy comparison data that enables consumers to more easily understand the data. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that present energy usage benchmarks in ways that are easy for consumers to understand, in addition to providing consumers with the ability to compare their energy usage to other consumers.